Trump targets ticket scalping, fees with new executive order

Akayla Gardner, Bloomberg News on Mar 31, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday aimed at cracking down on ticket scalping and fees that drive up the costs of attending live events for consumers.

The order directs the Federal Trade Commission to work with the Department of Justice to ensure that competition laws are enforced in the concert and entertainment industry — including the Better Online Ticket Sales, or BOTS, Act — and pushes state consumer protection authorities on enforcement, according to a White House fact sheet.

It also seeks to “ensure price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process, including the secondary ticketing market.” Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be asked to ensure that ticket resellers are complying with the tax code and other laws.

Trump described the measure as good for “a lot of people, including in particular the public, and having to do with ticket sales and scalping and all of the gouging that you have been reading about that’s got worse and worse with time.”

The president was joined in the Oval Office by singer Kid Rock, who said computer bot purchases of tickets were hurting artists and their fans.

“They come in to get all the good tickets to your favorite shows you want to go to, and then they’re relisted immediately for sometimes 400% or 500% markup, and the artists don’t see any of that money,” the musician said. He said Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. and other websites were profiting each time a ticket was sold and resold.

The Treasury Department, DOJ and the FTC will also be directed to deliver a report within 180 days on the actions they’ve taken and to recommend additional regulations or legislation to protect consumers in the live concert and entertainment industry.

The order was first reported by TMZ.

Trump’s actions are similar to moves taken by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, to target what he labeled “junk fees” — hidden charges that raised the prices of items, including concert tickets, hotel rooms, internet and other services and goods — that was part of a broader effort to address worries about rampant inflation during the Democrat’s tenure.

Biden’s actions to bring more transparency to ticket pricing gained particular salience as the cost to attend major tours by pop icons such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift skyrocketed and many fans were unable to secure tickets.

In 2023, Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment Inc., agreed to display all-in pricing on its website for mandatory fees that previously didn’t appear until checkout. Another ticketing website, SeatGeek, said it would allow customers to compare tickets with included fees.

Under Biden, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had a prominent role in cracking down on hidden or surprise charges for consumers. But the agency, long a target of conservatives, has since been gutted by Trump.

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